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The Tea Smith owner Tim Smith searches out loose-leaf teas from all over the world—and he says he has to consciously limit himself as he fills the shops' stock of about 150 teas. But it wasn't long ago that Tim didn't even like tea. "I thought tea was brown water and a bag," he confesses.
It took a gift for his wife to change that. "I was traveling for business, it was around Valentine's day, and I was married long enough to know that you don't come home empty-handed," he says. So he bought her some loose-leaf tea and the right accessories to brew it. "She made me try it, and it was surprising," he says. "It was not that stuff in a bag. It had some character and some taste to it."
He began researching, and realized that tea—already the world’s most widely consumed beverage after water—was experiencing a resurgence in the United States. While many tea spots have British or Japanese themes, Tim decided to open a tea shops with a "comfortable contemporary" vibe, where people could enjoy hot, iced, and bubble teas with friends. For at-home brewing, visitors can shop for classic teas such as Earl Grey, sample more unusual flavors such as the “Iron Goddess of Mercy” (an oolong), or browse seasonal blends such as pumpkin spice, cranberry cream, and fireside chat. The shops also stocks travel tea mugs, teapots equipped with infuser baskets, and unglazed Chinese YiXing clay pots that enhance the tea’s flavor.
Tim knows that many people who walk into the shop are unfamiliar with loose-leaf tea and may not be sure what they'll like—which is why he only hires tea enthusiasts. "Part of their training is to come in and drink each of the teas, and make notes on the flavor profiles," he says. That way, the staff can recommend blends suited to each customer's palate, rather than having to analyze a Rorschach tea-blot test. In addition to events including an annual blending contest, they also run periodic Tea 101 sessions that introduce attendees to the "history, the myths, the legends, and the lore of tea," says Tim.

Property Location
With a stay at Magnolia Hotel Omaha, you'll be centrally located in Omaha, steps from Orpheum Theater and minutes from Omaha Children's Museum. This hotel is within close proximity of First National Bank Tower and Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts.
Rooms
Make yourself at home in one of the 145 air-conditioned rooms featuring LCD televisions. Relax and take in city and courtyard views from the privacy of your room. Wired and wireless Internet access is complimentary, while 37-inch high-definition televisions with cable programming provide entertainment. Private bathrooms with showers feature makeup/shaving mirrors and complimentary toiletries.
Rec, Spa, Premium Amenities
Enjoy recreational amenities such as a health club and a sauna. This Edwardian hotel also features complimentary wireless Internet access, concierge services, and gift shops/newsstands. Guests who want to try their luck at the slots can hop on the complimentary casino shuttle.
Dining
Enjoy a satisfying meal at a restaurant serving guests of Magnolia Hotel Omaha. Mingle with other guests at a complimentary manager's reception, held daily at early evening. At the end of the day, relax with your favorite drink at a bar/lounge. A complimentary hot/cold buffet breakfast is included.
Business, Other Amenities
Featured amenities include a 24-hour business center, limo/town car service, and business services. Planning an event in Omaha? This hotel has 6262 square feet (582 square meters) of space consisting of conference/meeting rooms, small meeting rooms, and a ballroom. A roundtrip airport shuttle is complimentary (available 24 hours), and a train station pick-up service is also provided at no charge.

Advanced Carpet Restoration has been brewing eco-friendly carpet and textile cleaning solutions for more than two decades. Upon arrival, bootie-clad technicians protect domiciles with entry mats, floor blankets, towels, and corner guards before carefully moving most furniture with the help of sliders and protective blocks. Then, they can prep their surfaces for a gentle machine scrubbing, restoring twisted and damaged fibers on matted lanes and removing loose allergens and dust mites with a HEPA-filtered vacuum. Fibers are pretreated with an eco-friendly, clinical-grade disinfectant and green detergents, and can be followed by a rotary-machine shampooing process using microfiber bonnet pads to remove soils. Revitalizing soft-water steam from a truck-mounted system occurs next, with subsequent suction removing stubborn dirt and allergens without leaving a dingy residue. Techs don't leave the cleaning to chance, wielding hand tools after each initial pass to meticulously steam clean along all baseboards, stairs, and edges. Once satisfied, they let their fans finish up, leaving carpets dry in a fraction of the normal time.
In addition to carpet cleaning, the expert techs specialize in many other textile and carpet maintenance services. They break down pets' organic stains and odors with safe acids, enzymes, and oxidizers after a complimentary black light inspection. They can also treat carpets with an advanced green carpet protector application to prevent staining and keep carpets cleaner for longer. Along with fine fabric upholstery services, techs also restore treasured area rugs in their in-plant submersion tanks. They even venture beneath rugs and carpets, restoring water- and fire-damaged flooring and cleaning hard surfaces such as tile and grout, garage floors, and even natural marble and granite surfaces.

To call The Body Shop a mere skin and body care store is to miss half of what makes it special. Late founder Dame Anita Roddick was a pioneer for ethical business practices; upon opening her first store in Brighton, England, in 1976, she developed company values such as "Defend Human Rights" and "Protect The Planet." She somehow balanced principles and profit, partnering in global campaigns with UNICEF, Greenpeace, Amnesty International, and the United Nations, all while ultimately expanding her brand into 2,500 locations in over 60 international markets. After her death in 2007, then-British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said, ?She campaigned for green issues for many years before it became fashionable to do so and inspired millions to the cause by bringing sustainable products to a mass market. . . . She was an inspiration.?
Indeed, the Body Shop exhibits an eco-friendliness and social consciousness that's hard to come by in a company of its size. Its products have been fair-trade since 1987, and its Against Animal Testing movement led to an EU-wide ban of animal testing of cosmetics. The products are made from ingredients harvested from around the world: shea butter from Ghana goes into body scrubs and butters, and Indian artisans craft wooden massagers and tote bags that are screenprinted by hand. But all that isn't to say the company's production practices overshadow its final products. Skincare treatments such as the brand?s iconic body butters, facial products, and gift collections often appear in Allure, Marie Claire, Lucky, Seventeen and other national publications.

When Joslyn Art Museum opened in 1931, more than 25,000 people lined up to see the exhibits. It had taken three years of construction and $3 million to create the splendid art-deco building, which was inlaid with more than 38 types of marble imported from around the world. The force behind this enormous effort was philanthropist Sarah Joslyn, who had the building built in honor of her late husband. But instead of standing front and center, Sarah quietly mixed in with the crowd. "I am just one of the public," she said to people who recognized her.
Sarah truly viewed the museum as a gift to the people of Omaha. With the 58,000-square-foot addition of the Walter & Suzanne Scott Pavilion, a sculpture garden, and other enhancements, the museum has grown with time. Visitors today find more than 11,000 works of art inside, with collections and exhibitions that include pieces of ancient Greek pottery, Renaissance and Baroque paintings by Titian and El Greco, and Impressionist works by Camille Pissarro, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Claude Monet.
After admiring the peasant portraiture of 19th-century French realist Jules Breton, guests can cartwheel over to a collection of 18th- and 19th-century American artwork, which includes portraits by James Peale and landscape images by Thomas Cole. Pieces from the 20th century from artists such as Grant Wood transition visitors into viewings of more contemporary works or attempts to find a 3-D Magic Eye picture in Jackson Pollock's Galaxy.

Property Location
With a stay at DoubleTree by Hilton Omaha Downtown, you'll be centrally located in Omaha, steps from First National Bank Tower and minutes from Omaha Civic Auditorium. This hotel is within close proximity of Orpheum Theater and Holland Performing Arts Center.
Rooms
Make yourself at home in one of the 414 guestrooms. Bathrooms feature shower/tub combinations, complimentary toiletries, and hair dryers. Conveniences include desks and coffee/tea makers, as well as phones with voice mail.
Rec, Spa, Premium Amenities
Enjoy recreational amenities such as an indoor pool and a fitness facility. Additional amenities include complimentary wireless Internet access, concierge services, and an arcade/game room. Getting to nearby attractions is a breeze with the complimentary area shuttle that operates within 4 mi.
Dining
Grab a bite to eat at the hotel's restaurant, which features a bar, or stay in and take advantage of room service (during limited hours). At the end of the day, relax with your favorite drink at a bar/lounge.
Business, Other Amenities
Featured amenities include a 24-hour business center, audiovisual equipment, and express check-out. Planning an event in Omaha? This hotel has 30000 square feet (2787 square meters) of space consisting of conference/meeting rooms, small meeting rooms, and a ballroom. A roundtrip airport shuttle is complimentary (available on request), and a train station pick-up service is also provided at no charge.

Groupon Guide

Omaha Guide

Omaha, Nebraska, is a city that's filled with entertainment. Whether it's a good meal or an afternoon's outing, there are hundreds of options available in the city. This Omaha guide to things to do can give those looking for a few good places to spend a bit of time a few pointers to what's out there.

Film lovers looking for things to do can enjoy a wide range of indie movies at two of the city's theaters, Film Streams on Webster St. and the Dundee Theatre on Dodge. Film Streams is a nonprofit movie house that features independent cinema, documentaries, foreign and classic films. Dundee is an old-fashioned movie house with a single screen. Like Film Streams, Dundee also shows a variety of movies that are rarely seen in mainstream cinemas, with an emphasis on indie movies and classics.

Those looking for family-friendly things to do in Omaha can visit the Henry Doorly Zoo. The geodesic dome located on 10th St. houses some of the best exhibits in the U.S. and is immensely popular with city residents. The exhibitions include an orangutan forest, aviary, a desert environment beneath the dome and an aquarium with a 70-foot shark tunnel. For those wanting to experience a bit of history, the Durham Museum should provide plenty of entertainment while educating visitors about the history of the area. The first floor is a restored train station, complete with vintage trains. In the rest of the museum there are temporary and permanent exhibits, many covering the history of Omaha extending well before the founding of the city.

This city has a large and diverse population with diverse tastes in food. Laos Thai Market offers one of the best food deals in town, with large portions of inexpensive, authentic Thai dishes. Lunch at the Lalibela Ethiopian Restaurant is something else that should be on anyone's things to do in Omaha list. The Combination Platter is a perfect introduction for those new to Ethiopian cuisine. No Omaha guide would be complete though without listing Big Mama's Kitchen as another must try restaurant, with its offerings of mouth-watering soul food.

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“This Omaha guide to things to do can give those looking for a few good places to spend a bit of time a few pointers to what's out there.”